Turner missed the goalless draw at Huddersfield on the weekend with an ankle injury, Matthew Connolly switching to the heart of the defence with Kevin McNaughton stepping in at right-back.

The upheaval in the Cardiff back four, however, did not unduly trouble the Bluebirds as Malky Mackay’s men kept a fifth clean sheet in six matches.

But Mackay will still be delighted to call on the formidable presence of Turner as the former Coventry centre-back rejoins his training group today.

“We felt that if we did play Ben at Huddersfield there might be the risk he could be out for a little bit more time,” said Mackay. “We needed to give him just a little bit more recovery time and he is spending the early part of this week working with our physios.

“They are building him up and we expect Ben to rejoin the main group, that is something we can deal with in the week.”

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Cardiff’s medical team will also assess McNaughton after he went off with a bad cut to his head at the John Smiths Stadium.

Mackay said McNaughton had “plenty of stitches” in a head wound sustained when he was accidentally caught by a Huddersfield elbow.

The visit of Bristol City – one place off the bottom of the Championship despite beating Nottingham Forest 2-0 at Ashton Gate on Saturday – will be Cardiff’s first home since January 12.

The Bluebirds, 11 points clear at the top of the Championship, then entertain Brighton three days later as the run-in to the season starts in earnest.

Striker Fraizer Campbell will benefit from a week’s intense training this week, having played 46 minutes in substitute appearances at Leeds – where he scored the winner – and his hometown club Huddersfield.

“I’m feeling sharp but I’m still working on my match fitness,” said Campbell, the £600,000 January window signing from Sunderland.

“There are a lot of good strikers in our squad and the gaffer is able to bleed me in slowly. I will be up to full speed pretty soon, hopefully within a couple of weeks.”

Bristol City head across the Severn revived by Sean O’Driscoll’s appointment as manager, the Robins winning three times in five games since the former Doncaster and Forest boss succeeded Derek McInnes.

Ipswich, Watford and Forest have all been beaten at home, but O’Driscoll has lost his two away games at Leeds and Blackburn.

O’Driscoll set his team up in a 3-5-2 formation against Forest but has hinted he will revert to 4-4-2 in Cardiff.

Wales defender Lewin Nyatanga played for Bristol City’s development team in a 4-0 defeat at Cardiff last week, but was called up at centre-back alongside Brendon Moloney and Liam Fontaine against Forest after a first-team absence of three months. But the long-serving Louis Carey is almost fit after a knee injury and might return on Saturday.

Midfielder Cole Skuse (knee) and striker Sam Baldock (calf) are also on course to make the trip as is former Swansea City target Albert Adomah, who has been on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Ghana.

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